The first gun I went hunting with was when I was hunting for muley, when I lived in California. My dad has a beautiful 30-06 Semi Remington with a nice Leupold 3-9 on it, and then he has the gun he let me use... I used the 1964 Winchester Model 94...WITH the metal butt plate. And of course not really knowing a ton about hunting, I thought that bigger was better and ended up getting the 180 grain rounds. Needless to say that thing kicked liked a raped ape, and I had perfect indentions where the aforementioned metal buttplate was driving into the fleshe between my shoulder and upper chest... I went out very little that year...
For Michigan, you can not use a rifle below the 43 parallel or something like that, so I have gotten used to my Model 1300 Winchester Pump with a 2-7x36 Bushnell Banner on it. Its good to 125 and really around here, at least where I hunt you won't get a shot much further than that. It is very accurate and every deer I have shot with it, it has dropped them in their tracks. Works good enough for me.
I have a crazy Vietnam Vet uncle who lives off the land essentially in California, and he has always killed his deer with his .30 Carbine, and wouldn't want to change guns if he had the chance to. He loves that gun. I have another buddy who swears by his .243 and drops them with one well placed shot on big muleys...
Essentially like the others said, it is what you like and what feels good to you.
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